Guild Wars 2

SpaceCowboy.1398:

awge.3852:

However I think straffing should be allowed against any ranged weapon, it’s more realistic to force you to manually dodge them.

I’m not sure what your advocating here, but straffing shouldn’t allow you to miss projectile attacks, just AoE. If players want to avoid getting hit by a projectile, then they should have to dodge.

Ranged damage is lower across the board vs melee, so to further penalize it by having players to just side step seems like a slap in the face. This just isn’t an FPS, so there definitely needs to be a degree of auto-targeting.

Simply put, look at longbow straffing if you already haven’t. First you cannot straff any ranged weapon from a close distance, it rarely ever works. But if you are far away enough you can easily straff as long as the projectile is not heart seeking or super fast. This makes for more realistic gameplay, where you can actually try to avoid enemy projectiles from a distance. Now this is very limited and in Gw2 if you try to straff in front of a ranged enemy you will simply eat all those projectiles, which is perfectly fine. Now the thief shortbow not being heartseeking will fall into the -straffing possible- category.

This is why I agree with the current patch to the thief shortbow, I just advocate for more realistic gameplay. If this update does guarantee that shortbow 1 will not be totally nerfed then there is no need to complain, if an enemy is straffing (and by the way you can straff them right back) swap weapons and go backstab their face instead.

If a fix is going to come it will go like this: Scepter, Longbow, Shortbow… all accross the board not just thiefs. Staff should be at least 50% faster projectile because it is way too slow for pvp and wvw combat situations.

However I think straffing should be allowed against any ranged weapon, it’s more realistic to force you to manually dodge them. It also does force you to be more clever on how you decide to shoot enemies from a distance, besides thiefs have like a gazillion other ways of raining down hell on enemies.

I like to 5 man team in WvW and I am always the scout for the team, my ranger is such a good roamer and speccing my toughness build with strong condition damage and above average power. Roaming fits my play style. I like taking points and playing mind games with the enemy commanders by leading their entire army to stop a 5 man team…. or even a single roaming ranger from ninja-taking a keep, which gives our commanders time to stomp on another location. I am sure that all of us wish our rangers could play a bigger part in more than skirmishing, but so far I like it.

All those complaining about the pet boost need to realize that the biggest issue with pets is not related to PvE or PvP, but in fact to dungeons where they become absolutely useless in far too many cases, unless you do not send them into combat. This buff to pets unavoidably spreads everywhere.

I did happen to catch a developer talk about them looking into the idea of giving everyone a customized Hero pannel, in which you would be able to toggle between PvP/PvE/WvW/Dungeon tabs. This is to avoid having to pay for changing your build everytime you go into those environments, especially if you have not balanced your class out yet. This would be very useful because, if done propperly, it could help isolate balance issues that players find rather than have them spread everywhere because of a single nerf or buff to a profession.

Lokheit.7943:

Please Daecollo don’t do this…

Long story short: Daecollo is well known around the Thief forum for constantly sugesting incredible OP ideas for the profession without considering the devastating repercussions that would have ingame like if it were just what the profession needs, like he thinks the Thief should feel like a super ninja able to destroy everybody without being touched or something idk but he’s always making those posts.

I’ve told him many times for the sake of his credibility he should stop doing that before people simply see his name in a new sugestion thread and simply skip it.

As a main Thief, that have been lurking around here some time to seek info for my alternate Ranger while I waited for this patch buff, I can tell you this isn’t how most of the Thief community thinks. We’ve have our big share of haters and we wouldn’t want it for other profession communities as it’s a nonsense that becomes harder to deal with every day.

Specially a profession like the Ranger that was waiting for buffs with open arms so no, no need at all to nerf them! (If anything I would say they could’ve used even some more help, specially with Spirits as simply a 60% HP increase to an HP pool made of paper isn’t enough given the talk about improving them before the patch… my Spirit Herder Norn is disappointed!).

Long story short: a ranger kills a thief in downed state, why are we not celebrating?

Most experienced rangers know how to defend themselves against thiefs, because of all the horrible experiences we go through at early pvp, so yes we have evolved to be pretty nimble and tougher to kill. I guess like any other tough to kill opponent, all you have to do is time your condition damage well so that it interferes with their heals, time your bursts to land in between their healing cooldowns, try to taunt with attacks that will make the ranger to use their dodge while you prepare for the real assault. I personally mastered the art of playing 1 vs 3 long before Gw2 so that’s all I can say in terms of how I avoid the ranger’s pet, it just comes natural after tons of practice, but they are not unavoidable either. Try to find in your guild a ranger that uses the same style, so you can duel with them and get more familiar with how these ‘thief-killer’ rangers work.

Yeah I have a pretty strong toughness/condition build going around, perhaps I need to compromise a small bit of that into vitality cause it’s lacking on me… new accessories here we go!

You need to play with your conditions cleverly, I like to have 800~900 so that I can put more of those stats into power/survival. If you are doing high condition damage and not failing in other areas then I would say you’re doing well. One thing I do notice with condition builds is the lack of vitality, so you have to play around with that too.

The thing that separates ranger in this game from other games is that you have no natural evade. Meaning, you can’t go around modifying your stats (like increasing agility) to give you evasion while you sit on the ground and watch people miss all their attacks. You have to evade yourself, get away from danger and stay away from anything that can try to kill you. So you are forced to be much more creative and put a lot more effort into survival vs killing power. Here rangers that have really strong damage per second are very easy to kill, because they put all they have into doing damage, not sustaining damage.

Now, for all your initial 80 levels you can get away with doing the traditional all damage, no survival ranger. That is because ranger excels in world play, it is fairly easy actually until the higher levels. The game will naturally force your hand to switch your play style to incorporate what the GW2 ranger is all about, which is no big deal either. However, once you reach level 80, or if you choose to go straight to WvW/PvP you will find ranger to be one of the most frustrating and toughest professions to play, because with all the balance issues, it does take time to be a master ranger and to stand in equal ground in 1 vs 1 fights with other experienced players.

My recommendation is to really play the story, get a good feel for the ranger. Realize that ranger is not just pew pew pew with your bow from a distance, but it’s high interaction with your pet. The ranger has a ton of utilities that must be learned and used properly, all in check to help support your play style and any situation you find yourself in. Also these forums have tons of help for rangers, but mind you that most of the work you will put into your ranger will come after level 80, anytime before that is really the time you need to take to experiment with the class.

Good luck!

The best thing I ever did for my warrior is I made him a Chef and like that, I got him to feed his own weaknesses out of the window. But still, if you play and die a lot then it’s not your warrior who is making the mistakes.

Asura – Golemancer (thumbs up!)
Norn – Shaman (spirits for the win)
Human – Pirate (yarrr!)
Sylvari – Warden (kind of like tree ninjas with awesome tree skills?)
Charr – Ghostbusters (oh yeah!)

For anyone who wishes to understand how to properly fight dagger/dagger elementalists and is struggling against them, please watch the following video:

It is basically a fight of two people who belong to the same guild, Beastmaster Ranger versus Elementalist. I note that from the fight the ranger is likely to be using 0/0/30/10/30 traits, high condition, high toughness and high healing power attributes throughout his equipment. At the same time the elementalist is also geared for survival, like all good d/d elementalista, so it is indeed a battle of the toughest.

What can you take from here? The typical elementalist rotation of skills. Most important to note is the big damage attacks from earth and fire spells. The biggest damage source comes from (i believe) the churning earth attack + lightning flash, in which he charges the earth spell, quickly uses lightning flash to teleport to the Ranger to deliver him with massive damage; which our Ranger manages to constantly dodge.

I hope it helps and improves your overall gameplay!

You can use it for kittenasinations in large WvW stalemate encounters, picking the weak players is always fun when they can’t see your pet, plus it provides excellent distraction and sometimes it opens holes in their defense.

You can use it in pve extensively, especially in ‘defend this area’ type of events. Picking a tougher pet, sending it to guard a door while you guard the other from enemy attacks is a simple example.

I like to use it in dungeons to send my pet to help the weaker players, so that I can run around and focus on fighting other monsters.

etc etc etc… get creative

Does the jaguar provide benefits in PvE? Indeed it does, but you need to learn to use your pet the right way. For example, jaguar tends to be a good pet to use against veterans because you can guarantee that it will be able to attack for longer, as long as you set the jaguar into stealth at the right time. You can yourself be the distraction while your jaguar stealths and hits enemies from the back. Think of it as your own personal thief. Also remember that itself is not too tanky, so swap him out before he dies.

Your pets should always support your play style. Try to play with every single pet you have and take the time to find how to use them the best way. You never know when you will need a certain pet. Just because you have been using your favorite pet all along, but don’t realize that perhaps its not as useful as other pets in certain situations. Aren’t we rangers because we are jack of all trades? Prepared for every situation? Well your pet plays a big role in that too.

You really need to know when and where to use your longbow in WvW, otherwise it’s just pointless. Stick with short bow if you don’t know better, try to apply the longbow as you go and learn from those experiences because in all honesty, longbow can be quite the hindrance, any ranger can tell you that.

The guy who made the video indeed stressed the fact that the build for the elementalist is only viable for small encounters AND backed up with a good group. The cooldowns alone would be deadly to deal with against experienced players. However a build like this is tough to get as a ranger, one does need to embrace the fact that ranger is just meant for sustain and punishment. The longer the battle drags on the better for a ranger.

@helmino
I suggest that you suit your equipment to your current play style before you spend time and gold getting something that won’t suit you. Go to pvp and wvw, change your build if you don’t feel it suits your needs and once you’re set, then more onto the gear-getting.

I like the beast master path, condition damage application and survival, closing fights mid way rather than drawn out in PvP and WvW which means Rabid and Shaman/Cleric trinkers. For PvE I like to go melee (because it’s fun) but giving myself survival to fight champions from a distance (pet doing the work again). So that’s either Traveler’s (for magic find) or Rampagers equipment and Cleric trinkets.

Note: I get my vitality from Exquisite Jewels and /or Ascended items, can’t recall which ones I use right now.

For d/d elementalists, all you have to do is time your evades perfectly and lead them right into your pace, into your traps and into your pet. I get how it can be tricky if you are not used to them, or if it’s a group of them and they are very well coordinated + bunker build.

My own hell in WvW are good mesmers… can’t ever survive for long enough and their clones shattering everywhere non stop sucks hard.

Leuca.5732:

For a build that wants more consistent pressure/damage, he is right to bring hawk/eagle. Assuming conditions are not cleansed, each one adds about 1500 damage to their f2 because of bleeds anyway.

However, even though your build is gearing towards conditions, it doesn’t change the fact that Sharpening Stone is an absolute rubbish utility. Your bleed application cannot really be controlled once it is active and the 5 hit limit can’t really be justified vs the recharge. I would bring something like Lightning Reflexes.

Totally agree here, the build is pretty solid, however I would stay more flexible on the utilities and change them depending on what type of encounter you feel you will be finding. If it’s really a random thing then do stick with what you are comfortable with, but lightning reflexes mixed with hornet sting can be a much better choice in general PvP encounters; especially if you plan on running away into your allies or grab a few seconds to catch a heal or cooldowns.

The one comment I do have is that you never relied on using your elite root skill, which could have made certain fights (like the ranger one) a lot more manageable.

Xsorus.2507:

Apothecary for Condition Build
Clerics for Power build

Also choose sigils to support your equipment in whichever way you seem fit. Mainly condition/toughness/precision/power/healing sigils help a lot, it all depends on your approach.

I am doing a lot of work to enhance the BM/condition build and take it to the next level. Naturally all your power comes from your pet + the conditions you both apply, but when both your pets are down you’re left a bit too wide open.

I am still testing my own enhancements; but before I get to where I am right now, let me make a few comments on the builds you posted above. Also let me say that there is more than one way to approach this build, so I am giving my opinion on what works for me.

My personal BM/Condition changes:
- XII Bark skin on Wilderness Survival.
- IX Hide in Plain sight on Wilderness Survival.
- III Nature’s Bounty on Wilderness Survival.
- VII Rending attacks on Beastmastery.
- Grandmaster trait on Beastmastery is really a personal choice, I would consider which pets I am focusing on using.

• Side note:
  Let’s say your pet micromanagement skills are not up to par, you struggle to let your pet do the dirty work for you, especially when fighting those pesky mesmers and thiefs, or simply that legendary boss in the dungeon. One option you can do for your ranger is this:
  Set Beastmastery at 25 points, add 5 points into Marksmanship, this will give you more power to dish out yourself from a safe distance. This is due to Nature’s Bounty (trait 25 in Beastmastery line) which gives 10% of healing as a bonus to power. I found it to be particularly helpful if you are geared towards support and condition damage, which means you will have a good amount of healing to give as bonus to power.

To better undestand what Beastmastery does to your pet look here: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pet_attributes
*

Weapons? It depends, so keep one exotic of each handy. To further enhance my own condition damage I stick with fire damage and bleeds. Fire will come from your smart use of fire trap. Realize that aside from being rangers, we are also hunters. Learn how to lead your enemy into your traps and how to keep them there for as long as possible. Once they learn the pain that fire trap + your condition damage does, they will try to stay away from it, which gives you the psychological advantage of the battle. You can combine this with spike trap, however I try not to depend on it. Instead I use torch on second hand, which gives me a ranged fire attack (throw torch) and a second fire field (Bonfire). Try to use fire fields the same way you would a Healing Spring, in order to gain fire bubble protection.

Here is a great video of a very well use of fire field in open WvW battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtYPVrZbeRE&feature=youtu.be

Impressive results knowing the ranger was only level 15! Imagine how effective this would be at level 80. Best takeaway from this video? Learn to dodge towards your enemy, they never see it coming, time it right!

• Note on Fire Trap for BM condition build: I started to use firetrap to help identify cloaked opponents in PvP and WvW, not because of the fire triggering when they tried to backstab me (which helps a lot) but because it does amazing initial damage, which you can quickly reuse. I get excellent results as well in all PvE scenarios.

The BM condition build weapon of choice will always be the shortbow. Mobility paired with Superior Sigil of Earth/Fire/Ice will always keep the pressure on your enemies. I use Superior Sigil of Earth for the bleeds, I find it much more useful than Fire or Ice. Quickshot has a double utility, which not only grants you an evade and leap backwards, but it grants swiftness to your pet, very useful if used properly.

Main hand weapon to pair with my torch: depends on the situation!
PvE will always be axe, I simply enjoy to stack a good Superior Sigil of Precision/Bloodlust/whatever by killing large number of mobs with Ricochet. Furthermore, shortbow will not allow you to kill multiple enemies at once, so axe is a viable option.

PvP and WvW will always be the one handed sword. Lots of good uses: multiple evades, leap finishers, combo field activation via Monarch’s Leap, easy ways to run away from a fight completely (hornet sting, turn around into monarch’s leap).

Currently testing armor with a full set of Superior rune of the Fighter/Adventure in PvE/PvP/WvW, to further enhance my Power as it is something that BM rangers really lack on, especially when the pet goes down. At the same time I am testing variants of the build using different traits… still inconclusive due to the lack of balance that ranger has outside the builds listed by Xsorus, making various builds not very reliable in all gaming scenarios.

KensaiZen.3740:

jubskie.3152:

I’m just wondering how many rangers know that you can “insta-rez” a pet by stowing/unstowing it.

Assuming the pet just died and you’re not being focused:

1. Step out of combat
2. (While pet is dead) Stow the pet
3. Unstow the pet, and it should be fully healed without having to wait for it to regen to half HP, then wait again for it to be fully healed.

An added bonus is you don’t have to suffer through the 48/60 seconds penalty for swapping a dead pet!

This is mostly useful in WvW while sniping from the back lines, but I’ve been in circumstances where it became really handy (ie pet died to the lava rocks in CoF P1).

I’ve been using this trick quite a bit now and I thought I should share it here

Lol this one is magic. I will have to use this from now on.

Nice tip! I didn’t realize that… but the best part is that for certain pets, the unstow → enter combat allows their skills (not talking about F2) to be used instantly. Great for target picking especially in WvW.

What can I say? Very well done! for a level 15 ranger you actually managed to use the build I am using now, without the extra toughness/power… truly outstanding! I agree that you should lead your ranger in a BM~ish path but do keep this play style (decent dps, pet control, condition damage, smart moves) since fire damage is totally boss when you know how to lead your opponent into your fire traps and keep them there (totally rocking the spider immobilize + fire field).

I believe the real challenge will come from players who will out DPS you or outsmart you, after all that ranger had the drop on you for a short while due to your lack of survivability (level 15 right), but you clearly managed to outmaneuver him very well, so it is extremely exemplary. I think I will copy this discussion and paste it on the forums that are currently aiming to help rangers improve. It never hurts for peeps to go back to the basics right? Once again good job!

jwaz.1908:

I agree that rangers are adaptable and survivable, with over a thousand hours on the class, I’ve learned to switch weapons and utilities often (I always carry gs, lb, sb, and axe/horn).

The only problem is, we have little to offer in terms of supportive utilities, since spirits (practically our only party support) are useless at the moment, which is why many people prefer guardians for support, or elementalists for healing.

Actually I recently found out they can be amazingly supportive, however that is if you trait for full BM and for full healing gear/traits/utilities. I recently did some pvp and fought a ranger + elementalist duo, where the ranger sent their pet in for damage (luckly they sucked at micromanaging it) however their supportive skills for the elementalist + the elementalist healing support made them immortal, 3 vs 2 couldn’t get it done because they kept on healing each other so much. I think I saw this build somewhere… apothecary gear + runes of dwanya? Anyways just putting it out there.

awge.3852:

I found this build works really well if you mix it with fire damage, as you can both chill/slow down your opponent and land a fire AoE on them for massive burst damage. I would suggest keeping your weapon choice flexible, as axe can hinder you more than help you… depending on the situation.

It really depends on how you use it. You have pvp/pve/wvw so for example, axe is clearly a great choice for pve, but not because of the chill factor, but because of the riccochet + Superior Sigil of Ice which really helps deal with the predictable moving mobs. I try my best to stay away from main hand axe in pvp and wvw as it attacks too slowly and you can lose a lot of DPS unless you happen to land your attacks without being noticed. I would keep such a sigil on a short bow since it attacks much faster + it helps keep your enemy at bay and your pet on the enemy better. Of course your weapon choice will depend on your build and your preference, but clearly axe is not the best choice for pvp/wvw environments, at least compared to other weapons.

Now mind you, I am a fire ranger not a chilly ranger, I like to burn foes and with my high condition damage those numbers tick really brightly. But I totally relate to the chilly version… just switching the sigils basically.

I honestly do hope that, not just rangers, but all classes continue to be balanced. I get that there is big work on the background for what appears to be a new chapter in the GW2 storyline with the Flame & Frost… but we really need classes to be up to par. At least to the point where you can identify that you enjoy playing as a ‘whatever’ because of the play style, not because they’re so OP or because other classes suck at this or that. I think it’s that whole 5-man thing and how each player does their role that matters most, to get to the point where there are 8 classes to 5 spots in a group (in pve/pvp/wvw) and you can say ‘I don’t care if you are a ranger, you are -now- potentially as good as any of the other 8, but we need that crowd control/healing power/whatever you bring to the table’.

That may be an utopian type of future reality, noticing how little love rangers do get, but the problem of balance is really not related to just rangers or OP professions, it’s more related to ‘who does well in what scenario and how can we balance that’. Because I am honestly sick and tired of switching my builds around all the time and that says a lot about how poorly balanced rangers can be.

The most important thing about ranger that everyone needs to understand is that they are easily the most complex class to master. However, they are indeed a box full of chocolates, I keep on being surprised how their versatility shines through so many difficult situations. The difficult part is realizing that you need to be flexible with your build and second is to find gear that works everywhere. Try to find the build that works for you in most situations, but keep a second build handy to switch to on the go by simply changing your utilities and your gear.

A note on pigs, they are probably the most versatile pet to keep in dungeons, especially when your party is hurting.

I found this build works really well if you mix it with fire damage, as you can both chill/slow down your opponent and land a fire AoE on them for massive burst damage. I would suggest keeping your weapon choice flexible, as axe can hinder you more than help you… depending on the situation.

This build is a really sweet viable option in sPvP, I would have to try it myself however I believe its better suited for fights where you expect to have a backup. I don’t see it surviving too well if you are caught alone against multiple enemies… I could be wrong though. Have you tried this using a ranged weapon such as short bow? I wonder because even with a build like yours, I am sure there are times where you would rather take advantage of the range, and how the build would work in this case too for the ranged portion.

I’ll give it a try, I want to compare with my condition/BM build especially in WvW and dungeons

Raine.1394:

Some great tips here but no mention of the biggest potential loss of DPS largely caused by the Ranger class.

The use of gratuitous knockbacks.

Many rangers in groups seem to use a knockback on cool-down. This is a huge problem in group play and it causes a large loss of group DPS. Melee needs to be in melee range to do damage. Removing their target removes the damage. And, many melee classes have a high-damage skill (e.g., a warrior’s 100 blades) that requires the target to remain in range for the duration. It’s is huge loss of DPS and frustrating to lose the target to a Ranger’s knockback. Additionally, many professions have ground targeted skills that require a target when the skill lands.

It would seem that this is obvious, but everyday I encounter Ranger’s moving targets around the battlefield for no reason whatsoever. I have accidentally hit knockback on my Ranger and I know that happens. But, there are many Rangers using it on cooldown and that’s just not cool.

I agree, especially for new rangers that knock back ability from longbow needs to be used efficiently. It may not be a big deal, but I am sure you can realize that knocking back an enemy into the wrong location can cause distortion for all types of scenarios (including soloing).

My advice is that you need to know how the people around you play. If you need to knock back an enemy then do it to save yours or someone’s life, or to pin an enemy into a wall/friendly traps where it can be easily managed/take more damage.

This approach goes well with other utilities (dodging, healing, pet use, etc…) because the phrase ‘ranger is the most complex class to master’ is no joke, after all mastering all the jacks in a jack of all trade profession takes efficiency.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Ranger-Skills-and-Traits-Clarifications-Fixes/page/2#post1813627

Above is a very recent new post that just came up regarding ranger tool tips, what they exactly do for you and your pet, as well as where they are wrong. Since ranger gets very little love from developers we might be dealing with this for a while. However, there is much to learn from it and I am sure everyone can benefit from the knowledge. Perhaps we can improve our builds centered on these facts and come up with an even stronger ranger.

Something the tooltips are not clear about is this which I found in the -Little Ranger Tips- discussion thread:

(Quoted from: awe extender.1908)
“Remember not to engage / start a fight with pet F2. The extra buffs from traits don’t apply. You have to start a fight and then use F2.”

This is significant because more often than you think you will begin a fight, or swap pets to engage, and the first thing you might want your pet to do is an F2 attack. I wonder if this is relevant to the obviously large number of incorrect tool tips in our ranger portfolio and if it can get some developer feedback as well.

I am linking a new thread that aims to list the current problems found with incorrect tool tips in the ranger profession. The list is very clear on what is wrong and its amazingly important for those who have reached level 80 and are trying to master the profession.

Link: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Tooltips-Clarifications-Fixes/first

Current as of: 4/9/2013

I hope it helps!

So in essence, a very high power/condition and perhaps healing build for long range AoE+DPS via the use of spirits is a viable option in supporting zergs or groups in WvW? Well I ought to check that out, it has been a while since I pull my dusty old longbow out in WvW.

Durzlla.6295:

Leuca.5732:

Durzlla.6295:

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I’ve been using canines a lot (specifically the hyena) and I haven’t had any issues, intact the Hyenas have this sinister AI where they’ll stagger their KD so if you dodge one the other hits or you get a very nice talk with the dirt on the floor…

As for the power ranger thing, yeah idk, I use carrion so I can’t say I’m a power build seeing as how I rely quite a bit on condis for my full damage.

However I can say its absolutely NOT necessary to use those two traits unless you plan on swapping your pets every 15s, personally I never liked swapping my pets until they needed a heal and mine was on CD/I’d need it after they’d die without it. I suggest you get out of the habit of constant swapping and watch how much better your BM build works.

PS: how did cats get nerfed? I know my drakes, canines, spiders, and devourers still kill like they used to, never was a fan of cats and birds though.

It’s not a matter of habit; it’s simply how power-based rangers push DPS. I never swapped on recharge just to do it, but there was a method to timing swaps when you saw an opening in order to land your damage more efficiently. This goes for any build, but especially power-based builds. We need some sort of reliable damage increase and it was just flushed down the toilet. I fluctuated between Berserker and Valkyrie amulets and my build is all of a sudden rubbish in one fell swoop because no non-condi setup can do reliable damage for any sustained period of time without being so squishy that a glass ele lasts longer.

You should reevaluate your build, I’ve seen some pretty horrifying damage coming from GS rangers (if/when they land maul, pro tip, take a spider/canine) not to mention longbow and short bow can STILL pump out a constant high DPS output, our burst, for the most part, was butchered, but we still have that brutally high sustain which if you ask me is more deadly due to how you can’t easily avoid sustained damage.

PS: if you’re a GC using a bow your defense is your range, learn to get away, LR and/or Monarch Leap+ hornet sting combo = you won’t be caught.

Great tip and nice read, I was re-evaluating my BM build so I went to in sPvP last night, filled a server with guildies and tested ourselves out. I plan on posting my results later on however, I did notice that both toughness and condition damage are a vital part of the most effective ranger builds. Whether you decide to be purely ranger, or middle ranged/melee or fully melee; it’s truly the ranger’s job to constantly dish out those conditions and survive the fray (not to mention that pet micromanagement). Now to balance it with power/toughness/healing, it simply takes you to spec your equipment properly enough. I managed to achieve 1000 condition damage, 800 healing, about 2000 power and somewhere between 2100~2500 toughness with 30~40% critical chance. The problem however is in normal world play, because its not that simple to gear up perfectly, takes money and time. Just to quickly mention this, QZ was a big obstacle, I did not find any way to use it that would help me land a kill the way it did in the past. The 50% reduction in speed directly relates to damage and if your enemy is not standing perfectly still, all your damage is wasted.

Chokolata.1870:

Well if u set the jaguar on him before he spawns the illusions the pet will stay on him . Best bet is to open up with longbow and use the barrage around yourself . The clones will be decimated . After that keep killing the clones while letting your pet chase him around .
This is how i usually fight against mesmers, but if its a mesmer+someone else , you don’t stand a chance

I made a thread about this before, follow here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Help-VS-Mesmers/first#post1190448
I found that their combined comments provided the best mesmer VS you or [mesmer + 1 player ] vs you solution. It works actually, but of course much depends on your ability to properly stay on top of the mesmer. I think chokolata’s approach is doable as long as you can micromanage your pet well enough to stay on top of the mesmer and not the illusions. Personally I find it better to keep you and your pet on top of the mesmer and avoid the illusions or destroy them with AoE damage. I also notice that mesmers like to fight close to you, so either working around their approach or staying ranged helps a lot. Someone ought to try fighting them with axe and see what happens.

The Demonic Spirit.3157:

I run traps and BM build and it’s awesome !!!
My pets never die ( normal PvE > not dungeons ) and they do 50% of my damage. My pets F2 skills kill any ( normal mob ) and drop veterans HP to 50%.
Check my build http://tinyurl.com/ctzrrqc

I agree, I noticed that BM combined with traps or at least a healthy combination of DPS + high condition damage is a pretty sweet setup. I like to keep fire trap and torch on me at all times, I have a really sweet rotation to keep my enemy (or enemies) on fire at all times, but I still haven’t perfected it. So far I am doing 0/20/20/0/30, however still working on improvement (more suitable gear and such). My ranger does fairly well, but that nerf… man it stings; its hard to adapt to the pet and quickness changes when it takes so long to get good at it (I am a firm believer ranger is the hardest profession to master) it just feels weird.

What would actually be nice is if sword 1 would work like greatsword 1, I don’t see why the attacks have to be chained and if there is a reason for this, well a developer should explain… it just makes no sense to me.

Geshque.1326:

Yes, i’ve also tried it in sPvP and it was fine. Glass cannons die before they even could understand what’s happening.

However, I have problems with quick stomping. No it is nearly useless.

I also had a similar experience but in WvW, being chased by a glass cannon pair: ranger and a thief. Decided to try to outrun them, but they kept on coming so I sent my cat in stealth, it killed both of them! I was surprised, very effective when used properly.

Victory.2879:

Good build for ranger: any other class, they all do things better than you can and are more use in wvw. That’s coming from someone who has played them all, and still comes back to ranger (yes, I’m a sick man).

All the posted builds are trying to work around the fact that so many things are broken about the class and ANet have no real ideas on how to go about fixing it without making rangers OP in PVE dungeons.

I don’t get why people don’t focus on the topic being discussed rather than complaining, we all complain and hey even I have plenty of negative things to point out, but that’s not what this thread is about. There are plenty of other people complaining elsewhere so like the dude asked please keep the conversation clean.

What I currently use is a variant of the Phantom Catmaster which focuses on supporting damage for the pet via higher condition damage / better critical chance/ power/ toughness. So I have toughness gear and runes that allow me to spike up condition damage, just in case my pet dies I can fight competitively for as long as possible. I keep a torch on my off hand for constant burning damage. Also note that while cat damage is pretty amazing, you can swap the routine with canines, its especially helpful against enemies who don’t have much protection against stuns.

Vaya.1354:

Lord Helmos!, that is one wonderful guide, I really enjoyed reading this, and I agree that ranger is made to be a pet master not a solo fighter, I’ve been using the same tactic, but was always weilding shortbow, after today’s update I guess it’s time for the GS to shine.
Also Sick em! and active signet of the hunt are things I never used, never knew the max range for pet to chase the target or be controlled, I’ll be following this guide, roaming in WvW.
But I have a question, you already mentioned countering thieves with GS, what about mesmers, I’ve been trying out dual axes to take down mesmers, a good mesmer is my toughest enemy, any tips on playing vs mesmers?

I had the same problem, here is the solution I was provided:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Help-VS-Mesmers/first#post1190448

Their suggestions should apply well to BM and non BM builds. Hope it helps.

Which server are you in? I am part of one of the biggest guilds (BLUE) in Devona’s rest, our guild leader is a commander who is in love with WvW and runs a group everyday, so you could benefit a lot from us. Besides I can teach you some ranger tricks that I learned in WvW.

First of all, what is your place of comfort in WvW?
1. Running with the Zerg.
2. Running with 5 man team.
3. Running solo.

You need to realize where you find yourself the most at. Its really important to adapt your build in this regard. Depending on your world, you may find yourself doing a little bit of everything.

If you do a lot of zerging, high DPS may be the way to go in order to support your zerg better. Try to be a little militant about it, archers are supposed to support and damage enemies from afar in large groups, while staying safely behind the front lines.

In my case, although I found myself in zergs I was more oftenly involved anywhere between 1 vs 1 to 5 vs 5 fights, constantly and everytime before or after I reached any keep or any zerg.

That is why variants of Beast Master builds are highly recommended for WvW situations. It provides you with survivability and it allows your pet to be your foot soldier. It requires much stronger pet micromanagement skills, but it pays off. Actually someone just posted what is my favourite variant of the Beast Master build and it is geared towards WvW, it’s linked here:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Introducing-the-Phantom-Catmaster/first

Now you may adapt it according to your likes, I personally prefer to trade a bit of power for condition damage, using torch for the aoe fire which works great vs thiefs. Keep in mind that Wolf is the best pet to use in WvW and Jaguar as well, but they are only as good as you are.

I will edit this post later and elaborate on my approach but for now I hope this helps.

Based on recent posts, I would like to link the refined ‘Beast Master’ build here, I think new rangers who just hit level 70 or higher will find it necessary to have a more survivable build in their arsenal (it is also my personal favorite which I developed on my own, but it is extremely well detailed in this thread):

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/ranger/Introducing-the-Phantom-Catmaster/first

Enjoy it guys! it’s really fun and provides a nice chance of pace.

Chokolata.1870:

ofc its still viable

Totally agreed, if anything we just got it easier in terms of warrior/thief/mesmer quickness bursts. I wonder however how much it will affect our gameplay, but I don’t see a great downside as of right now.

Robert Hrouda.1327:

While it isn’t mentioned in the Ranger info area specifically, we also added owner Agony Resistance to pets.

I use a Beast Master ranger build and I do fractals nearly every day… so for me this is actually a very helpful update, thanks!

@lordhelmos: I am so happy that you wrote this build and posted it on the forums so well detailed. It is the build I have actually discovered on my own and have been trying to explain to my guild mates in order to maximize their survibability in almost all areas of the game. THANK YOU!

You should probably expand in the possible weaknesses of the whole build setup. I find it tricky to recover after performing a catssasination and having all my skills on cooldown. I all comes down to skill and how you can nameuver using the weapon skills alone, while micromanaging your cat to land hits on your target.

I have tried to implement higher condition damage while keeping my toughness high via the use of melandru and grenth gear (cursed shore as well as the runes). Skill wise, Muddy Terrain as an alternative for Signet of the Hunt on certain situations, or firetrap, or lightning reflexes… it can be a very situational thing (do I need to avoid damage/escape? can I burn my enemy down before they burn me down? can I cripple/stun them and control them for long enough?).

Also weapon choice should always be dependent on your environment, although I highly agree with great sword in wvw situations for closing the gap on enemies who are going to be catssasinated (like those pesky elementalists).

If possible, do any of you consider to have better results using carrion/knight/etc… armor better than the Cursed Shore armor I mentioned above? Thanks for the feedback!

I have been looking into moving from my beastmaster/condition/bunker build so I will try this build, thanks for posting.

Also a tip: I noticed that in a part of your video you where fighting 2 rangers or 3, they where standing still while you tried to out shoot them. Try moving very quickly left-to-right (without triggering roll dodge) and you will see their arrows miss a lot (keeping your distance helps more), your character however will continue to shoot at them without problems. Just to show those -stand still and shoot- rangers that they better know they’re not in pve anymore.

awe extender.1908:

Remember not to engage / start a fight with pet F2. The extra buffs from traits don’t apply. You have to start a fight and then use F2.

Really helpful! An experienced ranger myself and I didn’t know this small detail. I have been starting 30% of my fights with F2 lately so I’ll keep that in mind.

Ranged fights

Something you all should have noticed by now, one way or another, is that long range projectile tend to miss easily. Here are my tips:

1. When you are on the move and fighting from a long range vs a mobile target, move in the direction they are moving, this way you will guarantee more of your hits will land. Do this while keeping your distance. The minute the enemy switches position your shots will miss, so keep those reflexes on check and move in their direction again.

2. When fighting the type of ranged enemy that likes to stay stationary, such as rangers in wvw who are not on the move, ranged-stationary boss fights and overall PvE ranged fights, move quickly from side to side without dodge rolling. You will be amazed at how all their projectiles miss, while all your projectiles stay centered on the target. This will help you avoid: ranged attacks from ‘rapid fire’, quickening zhepir uses on your body, boss ranged projectiles (be careful, bosses like to launch projectiles that do AoE damage… dodge those).

Caution: this projectile avoidance only works if you have a decent distance from your enemy… in my opinion (I don’t have the exact numbers for this) I would say 700 feet away.